Overdrive

January 2018

Overdrive Magazine | Trucking Business News & Owner Operator Info

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CUSTOM RIGS January 2018 | Overdrive | 35 R ose Bud, Arkansas-based Brad Hartwick pulled an old Kenworth out of the weeds and turned it into a rolling salute to the United States before bringing it to the Great Ameri- can Trucking Show last August, where he showed it in Overdrive's Pride & Polish. Hartwick, who works as the shop foreman at his family's McSheer Trucking, said the hot rod origi- nated as a 1978 Kenworth W900A. He started out just wanting to build something he'd never seen before, but as the project went along, a friend of Hartwick's, Navy veteran Randy Jones, gave him the idea to give the truck a patriotic theme. The truck was lowered about a foot, the motor was raised about 11 inches, and the front end was stretched while moving the cab back about a foot and a half so the engine sits alone up front. The truck is powered by a 350-hp Cummins Big Cam and a 15-speed double-over transmission. The fi nished product, named "Patriot," is about as patriotic as a truck can get. It earned a runner-up fi nish for Best of Show in the Build- ers Class category at the GATS Pride & Polish. '78 KW becomes patriotic hot rod BY MATT COLE Brad Hartwick transformed a 1978 Kenworth W900A into this unique patriotic hot rod powered by a 350-hp Cummins Big Cam. One side of the visor's back depicts the iconic image of U.S. Marines raising the American flag on Iwo Jima during World War II, while the other side shows a U.S. Navy ship. Graphics include the American flag, U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights and more. The truck's bed, stacks and more were custom- made at Hartwick's shop in Rose Bud, Arkansas. View an interview with Hartwick at Overdrive's Custom Rigs playlist. Search for "Brad Hartwick's 1978 Kenworth W900A hot rod, 'Patriot.' "

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